Presidio Dance Theatre Celebrates Persian New Year in March

Presidio Dance Theatre (PDT) announced plans to present A Norouz Celebration as the central theme for the company's return to the War Memorial Opera House for its annual Children's Day programming, scheduled this year for Monday, March 20, coinciding with the beginning of the joyous Persian New Year (Norouz) and advent of spring.

Two performances for Bay Area students, teachers, families, and invited guests are scheduled for 9.30 a.m. and 11 a.m. Performed by Presidio Dance Theatre's multi-generational company of dancers, in addition to invited guest artists, the program will be a high energy collage of world dance and music traditions from Ukraine, Italy, China, Mexico, Hungary, Tahiti, and U.S.A.

The program will be distinguished by the debut of the "Norouz Suite," created by the company's Persian/Assyrian-American Artistic & Executive Director Sherene Melania, highlighting the beauty of Iranian culture through classical Persian dance and time-honored folkloric dances of ethnic minorities, Assyrian and Armenian. The Opera House performances are presented free of charge and sponsored by the Presidio Performing Arts Foundation, now in its 25th anniversary season.

Sherene Melania said, "Each year we welcome young audiences to the Opera House, and this season's return to in-person performances, which coincides with Norouz, is especially meaningful as we showcase the beauty of Persian culture during this time of extreme oppression and injustice in Iran. Presidio Dance Theatre has long been an advocate of justice through dance, as evidenced by our many award-winning community programs, and we are proud of our continuing efforts to build bridges of tolerance and understanding through the medium of dance. Our Children's Day concerts at the Opera House are a cornerstone of the company's activities and over the years, I'm proud to say that more than 120,000 underserved students have enjoyed this award-winning show."

As part of the Norouz Celebration, a traditional Persian Haft-Seen table will be on public display in Opera House foyer, a curated arrangement of items associated with rebirth, fertility, health and vitality. Seven symbolic items will be beautifully displayed that all begin with the 15th letter in the Persian alphabet, the letter S, and are: Sabzeh (wheatgrass); Samanu (sweet pudding); Senjed (sweet dry fruit of the lotus tree); Serkeh (Persian vinegar); Seeb (apple); Seer (garlic); and Somaq (sumac). Other items are added to the elegant presentation as part of this time of renewal and celebration.

Adjacent to the Haft-Seen table display will be a new 35" x 35" mixed media work of art by critically acclaimed and award-winning Iranian artist, Jaleh Etemad. Entitled, "Tears of Iran," the work is in response to the current struggle in Iran for women's rights and social justice. Ms. Etemad stated, "In this painting red symbolizes violence, pain and danger, and the broken glass are tears of a nation."

While plans are in process, the Presidio Performing Arts Foundation will celebrate its 25th anniversary season with a benefit performance Honoring the Women of Iran on Thursday, May 18 at San Francisco's Herbst Theatre at 5 p.m., followed by a sumptuous Persian-themed dinner in the Green Room and a presentation of the annual Humanitarian Award.

At this time, the two-act performance will include a company retrospective combining signature pieces with video testimonials, highlighting 25 years of justice through dance. The second act will feature the world premiere of a new social justice piece honoring the women of Iran. This dance work will be streamed globally for UNESCO's World Dance Congress in July. Details about the May 18 program Honoring the Women of Iran, will be announced in April.

Presidio Performing Arts Foundation would like to thank the generous support of funders and partners, including: San Francisco Arts Commission, San Francisco Grants for the Arts, Kimball Foundation, Fieldwood Farm Foundation, Mrs. Roselyne C. Swig, and David H. Spencer.

For information about Presidio Dance Theatre, visit www.presidiodance.org.

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